Diamondglass Trust
by WinterSonata
Summary: Kag's life is shattered when Souta's killed. She's saved from herself by Inuyasha and starts to repiece her life together in the Western Lands, not knowing Inu had killed Souta.Slowly they get closer, but what will happen when the truth gets out?
1. Chapter I

A/N: . Here on another crazy idea... It came after I wondered, in the anime at first Kagome tries to be nice to Inuyasha but gets brushed off because of her resemblance to Kikyo. She still tries to warm him up though, but what if Inuyasha can't get close to Kagome because of guilt over another reason? Just had to try it out...please no flames! 

  


Summary: Kagome's life is shattered when Souta gets killed in the war between the wolf and dog youkai. Not knowing it was Inuyasha who had killed Souta, *accidentally people! You'll see when the time comes it was an ACCIDENT .* she tries to piece back her life in the Western lands, finding her place...but what happens when the truth gets out? Eventual Inu/Kag fic...

  


Disclaimer: I'm really tired of these things when it's a fanfic, the definition of fanfiction suggests we don't own the original story, chars etc. Well if in any case I'm sued go ahead, I need to practice my advocacy skills and diplomacy anyways...^.^ 

  


_*Italics=Thoughts*_

  


(Oh it might be a little depressing at the end of this chapter because well Kag's brother dies...But don't worry its not one of those mope he's dead I'm going to kill myselfs...she'll heal eventually starting from Chapter II.)

  
  


~*Chapter I*~

  


Kagome Higurashi frowned at the pile of laundry she had to do that day. It was times like these when she wondered how mothers handle more than one children. Twitching her nose she walked glumly over to the stack which she swore was breeding because it was taller now than five minutes ago when she had been staring at it. She was definitely going to have a talk with her brother... 

"Nee-chan! I'm going out for a while!" Souta's called in and Kagome spun around.

"Souta! Don't you dare take another step!" Kagome demanded angrily making Souta wince as he stopped and quickly run through the things he had done that week in his mind.

"Uh, I didn't do it?" Souta asked hopefully.

"What are you going to tell me a youkai wore your clothes, went out fell in the mud, ripped them, get grass stains on them and left them in the dirty clothes pile?" Kagome asked sarcastically.

Souta sighed, it was laundry day, smiling he looked up again, "Sorry nee-chan, I promise I'll be more careful this time! I'll be back by dinner! I promise!" He ran up to his sister hugging her and kissed her on the cheek before running off, leaving a more subdued Kagome.

"Souta be careful okay?" Kagome yelled after him.

He turned around waving, "Don't worry nee-chan, after all who will take care of you if I die?"

"Souta!" Kagome scowled. 

Sighing Kagome went back to the dirty clothes having a weird feeling of apprehension. The last time she felt like this their mom had died but that couldn't be...Souta was just going out to play like he always did...Shaking herself mentally for silliness, she started to tackle the clothes into a basket.

  


~*~

  


Inuyasha cursed looking at the battle ranging below him. What was infuriating him was that the wolf and dog youkai seemed evenly matched, which meant more deaths on the inu youkai's side than he had expected. He had leaped up the ledge a few minutes beforehand to see how his side was faring. Seeing a glimpse of shadow on his side he slashed out with his right claws feeling them grasp a wolf youkai which had tried to sneak up on him. Growling in frustration he threw the corpse aside before lunging back into the fray. He had to find the commander of the wolf youkai faction against him, and quickly before more of his kind died.

  


~*~

Kagome was resting in the shade of a large tree near the river when she heard the sounds of people coming. Looking up she saw two of the village women who had helped Kagome with her housekeeping occasionally. There were only a few people that hadn't acted strangely around Kagome and Souta after that night they lost her.

The lady in the white and navy kimono smiled worriedly when she saw Kagome. "Kagome-chan, isn't Souta with you?"

Kagome wondered why Akiko seemed worried, "No Akiko-san. He went off wandering like he usually does." That feeling of apprehension started to change into dread as she saw the look exchanged between the two women. "Is something the matter?" Kagome asked getting up quickly.

Akiko's worry was obvious in her voice, "Kagome-chan, you might not know because you don't hear the village gossip but there's rumored to be a youkai war going on..." Kagome paled not liking the direction this was leading to. "One of the battles is taking place just yonder near the mountain passes..."

"Kami-sama! Souta!" Kagome gasped and forgetting about the laundry she started running toward the passes.

  


~*~

Inuyasha smirked finding who he had been looking for. The leader of the wolf youkai that they were fighting, Kouga. Since he had finally located that idiot in the crowd he wasn't going to lose him. Inuyasha darted between the fights going on, his eye never leaving the blur which he knew was Kouga.

"Kouga!" Inuyasha shouted and was satisfied that the other youkai had heard him over the clash going around. 

"Yo, Dogturd!"

"Oi WimpyWolf, I'm going to kill you today!" Inuyasha snarled as he advanced. 

Kouga dashed in to kick Inuyasha's side and he avoided it barely as he was unprepared for the attack. Inuyasha quickly spun around catching Kouga's foot the next time he tried to kick him and the impact sent them both falling. He quickly flung Kouga towards the walls of the canyon. The two demons were too engrossed in the fight that they didn't notice a small shape at the top of the cliff watching in awe and slight terror.

~*~

Kagome was running as fast as her legs could carry her cursing herself for not listening to her intuition. She cursed her brother for his curiosity and fascination with demons. She anathematized his need to explore everyday. She damned the demons for waging a war traveling distance from a village...She basically cursed everything up to the air she was breathing...praying that somehow she'll make it in time to grab Souta and come back to the village where it was safer...Interfering or loitering around hundreds of youkai fighting each other did not register to Kagome as being safe for her little brother...

~*~

Souta was too entranced by the battle going on below him, he was oblivious to the wolf coming from behind him. It had smelled the human kid and registered the smell as prey. Souta heard the wolf when it was near enough to lunge at Souta making the small boy shout in terror as he ran backwards...straight off the ledge.

The canyon wasn't too high and Souta fell on top of a couple of dogs which broke his fall. Apart from complete shock he was fine except for the fact he was now in the midst of the fighting. He panicked and started darting through fights trying to find his way out.

~*~

Inuyasha smiled as he saw it. There was the opening in Kouga's defense he had been waiting for. Growling he lunged at his opponent, his class already dipped in his blood to send the claws of blood attack. This was too perfect, Kouga had his back to the wall and wouldn't be able to maneuver out of this one...Inuyasha slashed completely sure of victory when his eyes widened in horror. 

Right in front of Kouga, a boy, a human boy from the smell was running past. The boy saw Inuyasha and froze in fear. "Nee-chan!" the boy mouthed. 

"Run you damn fool!" Inuyasha shouted but it was too late, the attack hit. Three of his bloody claws had thankfully gone over the boy and hit where they were supposed to but two had hit the kid in front.

Inuyasha snarled, if the kid had been a demon instead of a human there were chances of survival but a human had no chance... The boy looked at him, a terrible gash across his chest and one cutting his shoulder.

Kouga seemed shocked at first too. Then he grinned at Inuyasha's shock thanking his own luck, and grabbed the frozen kid by the shoulders.

"AHHHHHH! NEE-CHAN!" the kid shrieked sobbing and struggling in Kouga's hands.

"Wimpywolf! Damn it! That's a human kid!" Inuyasha growled.

Kouga smirked, "Dogturd you're the one who hit him not me. Thanks kid for saving me, and now you'll be a perfect snack for some of my buddies who should be famished..." With that he threw the screaming kid to the side where wolves had gathered.

"Why you–!" Inuyasha's eyes turned red in rage. He lunged for the kid trying to catch him but Kouga had prepared for that and lunged too, to kick Inuyasha in the stomach the impact sending him away from the boy. Rage conquered all of his senses blacking out everything but the demon in front of him. 

~*~

Kagome was gasping for breath by the time she came to the ledge overlooking the canyon. She could hear the fighting ten minutes before she even reached it. Looking around desperately she saw no sign of her younger brother. A cold hand crushed her heart as her eyes started to sting when she ran to the ledge hoping against the odds for her brother's safety. _*Souta, I'm going to kill you when I find you! Just please Kami-sama, let him be alive... Let him be alive* _

Within seconds she was at the ledge when she heard, Souta's scream. Searching for his voice she saw him flying towards some wolves. Without thinking, she darted down the ledge slipping and sliding as she lost her footing in her haste. Kagome didn't even notice the wolves, dogs, and demons around her heading for her brother. The fear clogged her throat as she blinked away tears trying not to think about the red she saw on Souta's clothes...She didn't realize she was radiating energy...She didn't notice how abnormal it was for her to be able to walk to her brother without being harmed... 

Kagome found wolves fighting dogs in front of her baby brother. A part of her conscious mind wondered why the dogs were protecting him but most of her thoughts were on Souta. A wolf got past the fighting and was about to bite his arm when Kagome shrieked a hand of hers connecting with the wolf as she pushed him away with a burst of light. Cradling her brother in her arms, she cried.

"Souta! Souta, wake up. Open you eyes Souta! Open your eyes! Come on let's go home.." she tried to move his bangs out of his eyes when she saw her hand came up bloody red. "No!"

She hugged him feeling him slightly wince stopped, "Souta?"

The boy's upper lip trembled as he looked at her, "Nee-chan. I'm sorry about the clothes.."

Kagome saw the wounds in his body, "Souta what happened? Don't worry about the clothes! Souta, don't you dare leave me...Souta, say something!" 

Souta's eyes kept fluttering shut, he tried to obey her, he whispered, "Thrown...as.. food...for...wolves... Somehow...knew-you'd...come. Nee-chan...I–"

Kagome started to stand before she fell, hearing roaring in her ears as she struggled to breathe. Souta went limp in her arms. "Souta, here let's go home ok? I'll go home and treat those wounds..Souta...let's go home..." she whispered painfully aware of her surroundings all of a sudden. Fury welled up and consumed her... "How dare you hurt Souta..." she whispered as she glared at the wolves clawing at the space around her unable to come any closer. The small rational part of her mind wondered why the wolves hadn't attacked her...But that wasn't important...

*_Souta's not dead...He's not dead... I need to get him out of here... How could they hurt him so... How dare they...How dare they!... This fighting is going to keep me from going back to the village...Souta needs treatment NOW..!*_ Taking another look at Souta limp in her arms, she was afraid to check for breathing... A wave of helplessness engulfed her as she closed her eyes and fell the waves of hopeless anger overlapping her...The roaring stopped when she felt a warmth surround her, opening her eyes she saw a bluish light surround her...The battle was gone, the canyon was gone, somehow it was just her and Souta. Then the warmth solidified and Kagome sobbed as she felt a hug... "Mama..."she whispered completely unaware of her surroundings. She let her emotions stream away from her, her anger and fear as she felt the strength of hope and love replace them..(A/N: I know Kag's miko powers haven't been trained yet but you know the saying if a Mom's child's in danger the said mother can lift a car. More explanations will come later on how this unbelievable thing happened.)

  


~*~

  


Inuyasha's senses snapped back into work when he heard a chilling shriek. He had his hands on Kouga's neck and Kouga's foot was kicking at his stomach but they both froze. Inuyasha heard all the dogs and wolves in the area starting to howl. What he saw next would have frozen him in fear if he wasn't already motionless. He thought he saw a faint, pale blue light but it was growing and every demon it touched...was purified. He saw wolves writhing on the ground, dogs whining and shrinking away. The rational part of him knew the dogs would be affected less because unlike the wolves the dogs had never killed humans just to eat them. 

Then he saw the eye of power, midnight hair was flowing in the wind around a girl holding onto...that boy. Inuyasha realized it was a miko, and judging from the purification going on, a strong one at that. All of a sudden Kouga twisted out of his grasp, yelling, "Retreat! All wolves retreat!" The idiot wolf was gone in a matter of moments.

Inuyasha was going to shout the order to retreat too when a voice from the past spoke. In his mind as if it was happening at that moment he heard his old nurse Kaede speaking, "But Inuyasha mikos all have a limit to their power. Even simple healing may exhaust some without training...If an exhausted miko continues, she calls upon her life force and if not stopped dies..." 

Scowling he shouted, "All Inu Youkai back to the Western lands NOW!" This had nothing to do with him, after all he could already tell many of the inu youkai will be too exhausted to move if not gone, after a purification. Hopefully none had been killed. He started off in the direction of the youkai obeying his commands, when he saw the boy's face as he received the attack. It stopped him from leaving the girl... Muttering to himself he walked back towards the girl realizing how stupid his idea was when it got harder and harder to get near her. Cursing he kept going knowing he owed it to the kid to save that stupid sister of his who was going to die if she didn't stop using so much energy.

Inuyasha noticed his claws were gone and knew he was getting purified back into a human from a hanyou. 'What did I expect?' he grumbled to himself as he walked forward, grabbing the shoulders of the girl, he shook her since he didn't know what else to do.

~*~

All of a sudden the arms were gone. Instead Kagome felt someone roughly hold her shoulders and shake her. The hope and serenity that came along with the warmth was also disappearing as her other emotions flooded back into her. The lighted area around her was fading and she didn't want it to...Kagome was about to close her eyes when she felt a hand tugging her sleeve. Looking down she saw Souta was doing it.

"Nee-chan, let's go," Souta said surprising Kagome. Smiling Souta added, "It's safe to let you go now, they said so..." That was all she heard before she heard the sounds of someone muttering. Her eyes snapped open in anger and fear as she realized she still had to treat Souta's wounds...She stood up saw a raven-haired boy in front of her before she blacked out.

  


~*~

Inuyasha was beginning to regret coming back for her when the girl stirred. She opened her eyes and shot up trying to stand before she saw him looked and a look of astonishment fleeted across her face before she fell. He automatically caught her and the boy.

This was going to be a long trip back, and not after a victory but a stalemate. His only hope was that his older brother had done just as horridly on the other battle that occurred that day. Well, he did seem to have found a miko but would she help them when her brother died because of his fight with Kouga? Questions ran through his head, 'Who was this girl? That was definitely purification going on but the last miko who could purify youkai was Midoriko...' Sighing he ran westward.

  


~*~

  


A/N: Ok please hold the flames! 1) I'm sorry I killed Souta. 2) Kagome is not going to be a Mary-Sue, I'm not even sure if she won't be able to do anything without training. 3)Her unnatural and immense miko ability is partially due to the fact she had to do something, anything, to help Souta, *she's in denial* and she had help ^^, along with her heritage. 4) It was an accident that Inuyasha killed Souta but he's still going to feel guilty because he was the one who attacked Souta not Kouga. 

Hmm just thought I would say all that. 

(Oh and if any of you readers read Polar Attraction, its not going to be updated tomorrow...I guess today... Since I'm a procrastinator and left all my homework for the last minute .)


	2. Chapter II

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I'm glad I wasn't flamed for killing Souta. Well enough talking, here's the chapter.

  


*_Italics=Thoughts*_

  


~*Chapter II*~

  


It was dark, but the darkness surrounding her seemed peaceful and comforting. She was sitting with her knees in front of her to support her arms, as she was using her arms as a pillow for her head. And she realized there was talking going on...

  


"Souta Higurashi! I said it's time to go, so come now!" that vague voice behind her seemed so similar to her mom's...

  


"But Mama! She's worried... And I'm not sure if she can take care of herself–" another voice behind her whined and she smiled almost picturing Souta say that... She tried to turn her head but she couldn't... She was frozen in that position but for some odd reason, she didn't feel scared...

  


"Souta Higurashi! Do not tell me that in my absence you were not taught any manners whatsoever?! Your nee-chan will be fine without you.. Not only that but you shouldn't be here... It is time to go. Don't worry, Kagome's in good hands... She said so."

  


_*Mama? I hear Mama and Souta... Souta is such a baka, I was taking care of him, not the other way around... Mama should know that..*_

  


She could hear a small sigh, "Well, I guess he seemed strong enough to protect her...and if she said so, nee-chan must be safe... Hai, Mama, I'm coming."

  


*_Wait! Souta? Mama? Where are you going? Why can't I see you? Why can't I lift my head? I'm forgetting something again, aren't I? Wait, Souta don't go! Mama, don't go yet!*_

  


"There, there, you're okay now child..."

  


Kagome's eye's snapped open and she sat up, or tried to. As she was rising, she felt a pain sear her head and fell back onto her pillows. Her eyes focused in the darkness to see an old lady next to her... Looking around she took in her new setting and gasped... She was in a large canopied bed, in a room twice as big as her house. "Where am I?" she asked then a thought hit her... "It was all a dream wasn't it?"

  


"Hai, my child... You were dreaming, and sleeping peacefully till just a minute ago when you started to thrash about mumbling the name 'Souta' and for your mom... As for where we are, you're in the palace of the Western Lands."

  


Kagome took in a deep breath trying to register what the lady had said when earlier events came back to her. This time managing to jerk up and ignoring the headache, she turned swiftly and asked fearfully, "Souta...Where is Souta?!"

  


The lady looked at her, "Who's Souta?"

  


"My brother–Where's my brother?"

  


The look she was given answered the question but Kagome wouldn't accept it. Leaning toward the lady she asked again, "Where is Souta? Is Souta okay? Please tell me where he is!!!" 

  


"Calm down child–"

  


Kagome didn't listen to the rest, swaying as she got up she ran to the door. She was in a corridor with a few people walking by but she couldn't see her brother anywhere. Turning to the other side, she saw a silver-haired boy stand next to her door. Ignoring him, she turned back around and started to walk down the hall...

"Wait!" he called for her.

  


Turning she asked him, "Do you know where my brother is?" Her eyes were stinging, as she remembered herself holding onto her brother, and him telling her about wolves...

The boy was looking at her with a weird expression on his face, almost as if he was mad at her. Then he spoke. "Your brother is... dead."

  


"No! You're lying!" Kagome shrieked, and turned away from him as tears streamed down her face. He grabbed her arm turning her back. Kagome glared at him through her tears and saw him take a step back when he saw she was crying. "You're lying! I just heard him five minutes ago! SOUTA'S NOT DEAD!"

  


"Keh, hit me then... Hit me as much as you want..." his voice was soft for some reason...

  


Kagome stopped hitting him and threw herself against him to cry. Everything was coming back to her... 

  


~*~

  


Kagome woke up with sunlight in her eyes. She was back in her bed but this time no one was in her room. Sitting up, she leaned against her pillows as she sorted out her thoughts. She remembered how she had held Souta as he died... He was dead... She felt her eyes sting and wiped them away quickly... *_I've done enough crying last night... How did I get back into bed anyways? And why am I here? Where is this place? But why did I dream about Souta yesturday?.. It was a weird dream... Souta... I should have protected you... * _She wiped more tears and tried to calm herself... *_I'm sorry Souta... But crying isn't going to bring you back is it?...*_

  


"Oh you're awake," a cheerful voice said interrupting her thoughts. Kagome saw it was the same lady that was with her last night.

  


"I'm sorry about last night," Kagome whispered.

  


"Oh it's alright child. Don't worry about it."

  


"I didn't quite catch your name... I'm Kagome..."

  


"I'm Kaede, child. But don't worry about politeness. I'm sure you have questions, and I brought your breakfast. Why don't you ask them while you eat?" Kaede said bringing a tray with food. Giving the tray to Kagome, the lady around fifty, sat in the chair next to Kagome's bed.

  


Seeing the bread and fruit on the tray, Kagome's stomach gave a growl. Blushing she started to eat before thoughtfully asking, "I remember you said this was the palace of the Western Lands... But where is that? And how did I get here? Oh and who are you?"

  


Kaede answered, "Your village was probably one of the border villages between the Western lands and the Eastern lands... The Western is rule by the Inu Youkai, while the Eastern is ruled by the Wolf Youkai. You were brought here by Inuyasha after you purified half the demons fighting... I am also a miko and also I was the family's nurse..."

  


Kagome dropped the toast she had been eating, "Purified you say?" coughing, she asked.

  


"Here drink some of this water child," Kaede said handing her a cup of water. "Hai, there was no doubt about it. You'll probably still be tired after eating.. Inuyasha said other than you and your brother... There were only the wolf and inu youkai..."

  


"But I.. I'm no miko!" Kagome sputtered staring at Kaede.

  


Kaede looked at Kagome thoughtfully wondering if the girl truly did not know about her powers. "Are you sure you're not a miko?"

  


Kagome nodded vehemently. "I never showed signs of having miko powers. I couldn't heal unless I had herbs and only simple healing. I'm positive that you're mistaken."

  


"Well... That could be child..." Kaede said hesitantly and Kagome went back to eating.

  


"But why am I here? And who is Inuyasha?"

  


Kaede took a while before answering, "You're here because it seemed appropriate at the time..." She decided if the girl refused to acknowledge the presence of her miko powers, it was out of her hand. "As for Inuyasha, he's the youngest son of Inutaisho and Inari. Inari his mom is dead, and Inutaisho is the King of the Inu Youkai, Lord of the Western Lands..."

  


Kagome was chewing thoughtfully when she gulped... "Does Inuyasha have silver hair?"

  


"Hai, but so does his brother Sesshomaru..." Kaede replied before getting up. "I'm sorry Kagome, but I need to check up on something. Can we continue later?"

  


"Hai, and thank you for breakfast," Kagome answered smiling a little bit but Kaede saw traces of sorrow. "If only they could heal each other," she thought wistfully.

  
  


Knowing grief took time to pass, she just smiled and said, "Feel free to look around." With that Kaede was gone.

  


Kagome finished eating her breakfast as she locked her feelings inside. She decided she needed to take the tray back and find someone to tell her how to get back to her village. When she stood up, Kagome realized the nurse had been right about one thing, she was tired. Although her legs wobbled a bit a first, she got them to be firm and she walked out, carrying her tray.

  


~*~

  


"Houshi-dono, she complete denies being a miko... And I believe she's not lying. Kagome truly believes she's not a miko," Kaede said.

  


"Hmmm... You may be right, which can put us in an awkward situation... If the rumors are true that there's another youkai behind this whole war... I believe we need another miko like Midoriko for this war to end... Some of the inu youkai that came back with Inuyasha really were purified... But if she can only do it when she emotionally stressed...This presents a problem..."

  


~*~

  


Kagome was getting irritated when she asked over ten people how to leave the palace and only got weird looks or was just ignored. Finally when she ran into a girl who seemed to know how to get around, she told her she needed to speak with someone first. That was where she was heading at the moment. 

  


When her escort stopped, Kagome looked at her. She pointed to the double doors. So Kagome walked up, knocked and entered...Before her was a huge mahogany table where three people sat. All had silver hair, and she recognized the boy she had cried on the night before.

  


The one in the middle arched an eye brow when she came in and asked, "What do you want?"

  


His voice had a commanding quality to it, and Kagome felt the urge to answer right away with respect. As she answered she observed the people sitting in front of her, "My name is Kagome Higurashi, sir. I don't know why I was brought here, but I'd like to go back." The one on the right was the one from last night, she thought she saw something twitch on his head when she spoke. The one on the left seemed older, colder, and more distant than the others. He had what looked like purple scars on his right cheek. The one on the middle, could only be the king... Kagome gulped when the king frowned.

  


"Go home?" he asked.

  


"Yes, I'd like to go back to my village." Kagome answered refusing to look down.

  


"Permission is not granted." was the reply as Kagome gaped openly while feeling a little indignant. *_My brother just died... Who is he to say whether or not I can go home?*_

  
  


Kagome narrowed her eyes and tried to stay calm. She asked politely, "May I ask why?"

  


"As the Lord of the Western Lands, I believe it would be more beneficial to both you and the Western Lands if you stayed here for a while." the king replied. "If anything is not to your liking, it will be fixed, miko."

  


"But I'm not a miko!" Kagome replied angrily.

  


As the one on the right was about to reply, the king cut in, "Whether you are a miko or not doesn't matter. You will stay."

  


"Most likely the village you were from is destroyed anyways," the one on the left sneered for the first time with no feeling. Kagome felt herself sway. The one on the right, which Kagome presumed was Inuyasha stood up angrily.

  


"Sesshomaru! You didn't have to say that!" Inuyasha yelled angrily.

  


Sesshomaru replied, "It's the truth. We haven't sent our soldiers back to fight yet, and the wolf youkai also needed to recuperate which includes eating... Her village had a high chance of being attacked."

  


The king intervened, "Both of you quiet!" Then with a softer voice which surprised both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, he spoke to Kagome. "It is as he said... There is almost no chance that your village is still in tact."

  


Kagome nodded her head roaring and turned to leave. Blackness was creeping up on her and she closed her eyes reaching her hands out to grab onto a wall when she felt someone support her. Leaning on him, she fainted.

  


~*~

  


Inuyasha returned to the conference room to see that Kaede and Miroku were also there. 

  


"Getting attached aren't we?" Sesshomaru said softly glaring at Inuyasha. 

  


Inuyasha glared back, "No! That's a stupid idea even for you Sesshomaru...I killed her brother!"

  


"Stupid? Who came back with a stalemate from his battle?" Sesshomaru snapped.

  


"SHE WAS FREAKING PURIFYING EVERYTHING, WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?" Inuyasha roared.

  


"You could have taken that opportunity to kill that filth Kouga... A real demon would have...Not only that but a few of your men deserted to my fraction earlier today...Seems they're losing faith in their commander," Sesshomaru sneered smugly.

  


Inuyasha stood up gripping his sword, "Sesshomaru, you bastard.... I'm GOING TO KILL YOU!"

  


"BOTH OF YOU WILL BE QUIET!" Inutaisho snapped as silence again descended on the room, with Inuyasha sitting.

  


Clearing her throat, Kaede started, "After speaking with the girl, I think she truly does not know her miko ability. She also doesn't know how her brother had died...."

  


"Inuyasha, I was wondering if you're going to tell her how her brother died?" the monk asked when Kaede finished.

  


Inuyasha sulked, "No, she wouldn't believe her brother was even dead yesterday. And today she fainted before I could say anything. Keh, that girl seems to do nothing but fainting!"

  


"Inuyasha!" Kaede snapped, as a nurse for the family over the years she could speak easily to them even before Inutaisho. "Kagome-chan fainted because the amount of energy needed for any miko to do what was done two days ago is enormous... Not only that but she is dealing with the fact her brother has died."

  


Inutaisho coughed. "That and her village's death, because of Sesshomaru."

  


Kaede drew in her breath, "This isn't going well... Inutaisho-sama, if Kagome-chan is to develop her powers fully enough so that she may use them when she wants to, she needs to be emotionally stable."

  


The monk added his thought, "Inuyasha, don't tell her how Souta was killed."

  


Inuyasha growled, "Why?"

  


The monk sighed, "Because if you tell her, you killed him by accident when he ran in front of Kouga, she's going to hate you. If she ever forgives you it'll be in years. We can't afford to let this war last for years. Too many people, humans and youkai alike are dying."

  


"She'll hate him more if she finds out later," Kaede cautioned as the meeting went on.

  


~*~

Kagome woke up hungry. She was in her room again, and blushed realizing that this was getting to be a bothersome habit. Getting up, she decided to look for the kitchen since she remembered she was stuck there for a while anyways.

  


Kagome was walking towards the kitchen which she found earlier when she stopped. Souta was running across the hall... Feeling her heart pound, she ran over to him and hugged him. "Souta!"

  


"Um, can you let me go please?" 

  


The voice was different than Souta's, more polite. Letting go, Kagome saw it wasn't Souta but a different boy, Souta's age. This boy had longer hair and was wearing a demon exterminator suit of black and blue. Blushing she backed up, her eyes burning. "I'm sorry, I...mistook...you for someone else." She was about to run back when another voice stopped her.

  


"Oh don't worry about Kohaku. He's extremely shy around strangers," a cheerful girl's voice replied. Turning around, Kagome saw a girl around her age in a demon exterminator's suit similar to the boy's but hers was black and pale purple. Her hair was tied back in a magenta ribbon.

  


Feeling embarrassed at herself, Kagome replied smiling faintly, "Oh, no problem... It was my fault..."

  


The girl looked at her curiously before smiling, "I'm Sango, Kohaku why don't you go find father?" When the boy ran off she turned to Kagome. "He reminds you of your brother?"

  


Kagome's eyes blurred when the words hit the spot. 

  


Sango gave her an understanding smile, "It's okay to be sad when they're gone."

  


"They're about the same age, I think... The same height..." Kagome replied softly. "Thank you, I'm Kagome."

  


~*~

  


I update about once a week, and sorry but Souta is dead. He won't be revived but... ^^ He's still going to play a part... Sorry there wasn't a lot of Inu/ Kag interaction in this chapter... I promise there will some next chapter.^^

  


Thanks to: Sailor-helios, xo Kagome ox, Jessica C, Puppkid, Arella Hallo, and Alaskantiger for reviewing. ^^


	3. Chapter III

A/N: Omg sorry about the skip of a week... . I had Chem and Spanish projects so I couldn't update... I'll be on schedule from now on I promise!! ^^

  


*_Italics=Thoughts* _

  


~*Chapter III*~

That feeling of restlessness wouldn't go away. It was as if all of her weariness from before had turned into restlessness churning her stomach. Frowning Kagome got up from her bed. Looking out the window, she saw night had crept upon her insidiously. With the darkness came gloom and unwelcome memories... 

Annoyed at herself for being so childish, Kagome went slipped back in bed and closed her eyes. But the quiet quality of her room was curse at night. Images of Sango and her little brother danced in her eyes, turning into herself and Souta... *_Why is it always so hard... Souta I'm sorry.. I'm sorry...*_

Kagome frowned in confusion even as the soft quality of serenity engulfed her. She was hearing voices again...

"I told you nee-chan needs me!" that whine could only be Souta... 

"I really did think she would handle this better..." her mom's soft voice had an inlay of worry.

"Things are moving too fast..." a soft masculine voice replied worriedly. Kagome felt she should recognize that voice but she couldn't.

"Then we'll do it this way," came a feminine voice that Kagome never heard before. It was a strange mixture of sorrow and peace.

Suddenly, her peacefulness was gone and in its place was that irritating restlessness. 

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan wake up already!" Kagome heard Souta's voice and turned in her bed.

Standing on his tip toes to see over her bed, Souta was glaring at her mischievously. "Nee-chan's a sleepy head!"

Kagome sat up quickly. "Souta? Souta it's you isn't it?!" She started to get off the bed but Souta also walked backwards. "Souta, where are you going? Come and let me hug you! Souta!!!"

A quick look of pain flitted across Souta's face. It was gone so fast, that Kagome wondered if she really did see it before. Souta just grinned at her again, "Nee-chan catch me if you can!!" With that he ran out her door.

Scowling Kagome got up and ran after him. When she went through her door she saw Souta waiting patiently for her. As soon as he saw her catch up he stuck out his tongue and ran off with Kagome following. 

Soon Kagome lost track of where they were going as they past the turn to the kitchen, went downstairs, turned in one hallway, went upstairs, ran through one door and out of another... 

"Souta, come on! Please slow down!" Kagome whined as she followed her brother. 

He just stuck out his tongue and kept running. "Nee-chan I have to show you something! Come on! When did you get so slowwwwwwww?" 

Kagome glared at him, "What do you mean," she panted. "I got slow? When," she gasped for breath deciding she better phrase all communication as concisely as possible. "Did you-so-fast?"

Souta just grinned. At one point he made her angry when she followed him into a room, and there was no connecting door. He ran back at her and slipped past her before she could catch him saying ruefully, "Sorry, nee-chan wrong door. It was... that one! Yeah that one!" With that he entered another door with the now angry Kagome following.

"Souta! You! Don't know where you're going do you?" She yelled.

"Noooo! I do nee-chan I do!" was the indignant reply.

Finally after about fifteen minutes a thoroughly tired Kagome stood outside a door. Heaving, she muttered, "Souta, I'm going to kill you."

Souta laughed, "Nee-chan, you need to exercise more!!"

Looking up suddenly, Kagome asked, "Souta where were you? I was so worried about you!" Kagome tried to think about what happened to Souta but for some reason, although she could remember that she had been sad because of Souta's absence she couldn't remember why.

Souta frowned a little before wrinkling his nose. "Nee-chan open this door and look inside!" He smiled and looked so adorable that Kagome just laughed.

"Fine, I'll see what it is that you just HAD to show me," she said and turned the knob. Stepping inside, one thing caught her eye. All that running had kept the restlessness at bay but now the uncanny urge was just painful. Her eyes traveled to the middle of the room. A wooden pedestal held a transparent glass box. Inside the box was a gold hanger which held a necklace shimmering as colors seemed to be at war with each other in the opaque pendant. "Souta... is that what you wanted me to see?" Kagome whispered as she walked toward the necklace transfixed. There was no answer.

On the pedestal, there were five vases holding holy water Kagome assumed. So many thoughts crashed into each other in Kagome's mind as she reached carefully for the lid. *_What do you think you're doing?! I don't know... I shouldn't be doing this... What is that? The colors are moving... Swirling... Clashing... I probably shouldn't be doing this... I should go out and tell Souta off for making me run... But why can't I stop? DRAT it Kagome Higurashi pull yourself together! Oh there's a seal... A purification seal? The colors... It's as if they're fighting with each other..*_ Hesitantly with her heart thundering, she couldn't breathe Kagome touched the seal bracing for an unwanted impact like a shock. 

She bit her bottom lip when her fingers landed on the pale paper sealing the lid to the box. *_What am I doing?!?!!?_* A tingling sensation shot through her right arm as the seal started to shine brilliantly blinding her. Warmth filled her as she opened the container and finally lightly grasped the necklace. The pearl-shaped pendant seemed to glimmer as lighter colors raced across it's surface and the darker ones faded away. The chain holding it was made of crystal shards. Carefully, Kagome pulled it out of the box when she was startled out of her reverie.

"Stop right there!" a harsh voice commanded and Kagome spun around in astonishment. The room was suddenly teeming with people. There were about four archers in the room, and the one called Sesshomaru was also there. The nonchalant careless look out of his eyes which now burned with a cold contempt and anger at her. 

Kagome took a step back and bumped into the wooden pedestal. "I said FREEZE!" the voice was Sesshomaru's. An arrow flew by her head missing her by a centimeter. "If you take another step, the arrow will impale you. This is your last warning." Kagome froze closing her eyes. *_I knew I shouldn't have touched it! Why did I do it? Why? Oh Kami-sama, am I going to die tonight?*_

Then to her relief Kaede-sama arrived. Behind her a monk in purple robes came, and behind him the King. Kaede-sama took one look at Kagome and froze. 

"What is going on here?" the king demanded angrily.

"Father, my soldiers were woken by someone shouting and running. A few from the stations set around here to guard the Shikon no Tama got up and followed her. When they got here, that their had the tama," Sesshomaru said icily glaring at Kagome.

"What happened to the seal Kaede-sama and I put on the lid?" the monk asked suddenly.

Kagome wondered if it was alright to speak. The king answered her question by barking at her, "Miko, tell me what happened. How did you get here? How did you know the tama was here? Takihana-san brought it to us just earlier today. Well? Speak!"

Gulping Kagome answered as best as she could, "I don't know! I'm sorry... I was just following Souta! He came and told me he had something to show me... And then he ran off and I followed him, and then I was here... It was as if the box was asking to be opened!"

The king looked at her and then spoke, "Everyone out except for Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, Kaede, Miroku, and Takihana." As he was saying this the youkai started to file out silently.

Then Sesshomaru cleared his throat, "That poor excuse for an youkai isn't even here."

That's when Kagome noticed a man in a demon exterminator outfit similar to the one Sango wore earlier. He was staring at the necklace in her hand and then started to walk toward her rapidly. "Did you do it? Were you the one who started to purify the Shikon no Tama?" he asked making a few people intake breaths.

"What... what do you mean?" Kagome stuttered. 

Kaede-sama came over and put a hand on Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome-chan, why don't you sit down and tell us what happened. And don't leave anything out."

Kagome although feeling extremely confused did as she was told. She repeated what happened from how she found Souta by her bed when she woke up. Then she got up quickly saying, "Kami-sama! Souta! I forgot about Souta!" With that she raced out the door and looked around. "Souta? Souta?!?!"

"Kagome-chan," came Kaede-sama's pitying voice. "No one saw your brother when they came here..."

"But he was here... I followed him.. He called me slow..." Kagome said as she felt her will weaken and her eyes blur. Then closing her eyes she took a deep breath and suppressed it all down. 

"This complicates things," the monk muttered. "I thought we decided that Kikyo was going to be in charge of protecting and purifying the tama...."

The king turned to the exterminator, "Takihana, the Shikon no Tama originated from your fort. What do you think we should do?"

Takihana-san turned his gaze from the tama up into Kagome's face. After staring at her for a few minutes he smiled. "I think, the tama has found its own miko."

"That apparition of her brother. Could it be the other side?" Sesshomaru asked.

Then the monk spoke up. "No. If there was jaki in this room Kaede-sama and I would know about it. The amount of jaki needed to impersonate someone so well and get it to lure Kagome-sama all the way up in this room would be a fair amount. We would have sensed it sooner as this room can only be accessed through that private corridor..." (A/N: Jaki is evil demonic energy.)

"Kagome-chan, you must be tired. Why don't you go back to bed?" Kaede-sama asked her.

"What about this necklace?" Kagome asked.

The king answered, "Miko, I entrust you with it. But what ever comes, you must not let anyone else have it. Understand? It is your responsibility now."

Nodding Kagome got up silently and walked out into the hall. Then blushing a little she came back in. To the inquisitive looks she was getting she answered, "Um, which way is my room? I don't think I recognize this hallway..."

Expressions of shock were portrayed on faces before Kaede-sama offered to escort Kagome back. "Kagome-chan, you're in the west wing of the castle... Your room is in the east wing. Here child, follow me."

  


~*~

When Kagome left the people inside the room turned their gazes on the empty Shikon no Tama container.

Miroku asked absentmindedly, "I thought Takihana-san said there was a shield on the container so no one could sense the tama..."

"There is." was the hoarse reply.

Miroku took in his breath sharply. "She didn't recognize the hall..."

"Who is that girl?" Sesshomaru asked his voice hard as steel. "This Sesshomaru barely sensed the tama's presence once the seal closed the container earlier... That seal... not even this Sesshomaru was able to touch it..."

Miroku grimaced, "That seal had the most powerful spell Kaede-sama and I knew on it... To keep everyone out, youkai, mikos, ningen alike." (A/N: Ningen are humans.)

"Takihana, tell me what do you believe is happening? I thought you brought the tama to us so we can protect it since war seems to be destroying the balance of the world." the king demanded.

"Inutaisho-sama, that was our intent. We tajiyas heard that Kikyo-sama, the most powerful miko to date was at residence here. Fearing that the tama which Midoriko entrusted to us would be used for evil, we brought it her for her protection." Takihana-san answered. "As for that young miko, I do not know what is happening. Unbelievably, the tama seemed purer as if Midoriko was winning the continuous battle raging within... Exactly who is she?"

  


~*~

  


The tama rested consolingly against Kagome's chest as she fell back into her bed. Sighing, Kagome felt as if the restlessness was gone. Incredulously, the constant ache that Souta's absence had brought had also dimmed. As she closed her eyes, her thoughts went back to her family. *_Souta, I did see you today didn't I? I wasn't hearing voices was I? ...Why did you lead me to this... The Shikon no Tama? Are you still trying to look after me? Why is it that you're still looking after me... just like it was when you were with me... Mama... Souta.. I miss you...*_

Silent tears wet her pillow as Kagome fell into slumber.

  


~*~

"Child, sadly and regretfully do I bequeath you this responsibility. Finally I have found you, one of my kin who is similar to I... Rest well for I fear the trials and tribulations are soon to come."

  


~*~

In the morning Kagome was determined she's find Inuyasha and thank him for saving her and bringing both her brother and her to his land. When she went out in the hall, Kagome was thankful that last night's escapade hadn't become public. So she went up to the nearest youkai and asked for Inuyasha.

"Excuse me, but um is Inuyasha around?" Kagome asked.

The inu youkai looked at her with contempt then went back to leaning against the wall. 

Frowning Kagome calmed herself willing to give him another chance. Speaking a little louder this time she asked, "Ex-cuse ME. DO. YOU. KNOW. WHERE. I .CAN. FIND. SOMEONE. BY. THE. NAME. OF. INU-YASHA?"

Glaring at her, the youkai snapped, "Filthy ningen! Get away from me!" With that he quickly walked off.

Kagome realized that what happened the first day when she was looking for the king wasn't because she was new at the palace. Nor was it because she looked weird after grieving for her brother. Getting angry she stormed down the corridor and asked the next youkai she saw for Inuyasha.

"Hello, do you know where I can find someone by the name of Inuyasha?"

To her dismay and anger, she received the same treatment as before. Feeling as if she'd explode, Kagome yelled, "ARE YOU DEAF? I ASKED WHERE THE HECK IS INUYASHA?!"

"Bug off ningen," was the muttered reply and the youkai pushed her before walking off.

Kagome now royally pissed, took off her right shoe and threw it at the retreating youkai's head. Cursing he turned around and slammed her into the wall. Pain seared through Kagome's head as she hit and the youkai wasn't done as he pulled her up by the front of her shirt.

"Put me down this instant! How dare you? LET ME GO!" Kagome shrieked trying to kick at the demon in front of her.

"Never EVER do such an insulting thing again ningen! You filthy whore, how dare you even throw your trash at me let alone speak to one as I!" barked the youkai as his red eyes seared into hers. Kagome glared back having no breath to speak and he pulled her up choking her. *_What is this?! Somebody please help me!*_

"What do you think your doing?" came an angry voice.

Kagome was dropped and she breathed in deeply as her attacker turned to the new comer. "Hanyou, don't mess with me today." 

"Bastard, are you threatening me?" was the snarled reply. As Kagome looked up her attacker was slammed against the opposite wall.

"Get your filthy hands off of me you ass!" the youkai snarled at the young teenage boy who had him against the wall. He was wearing a red haori and looked almost uncannily similar to the boy Kagome saw before she blacked out when she was holding Souta.

Growling, Inuyasha punched the guy sending him flying.

"Inuyasha you bastard, you'll pay for that!" the youkai said picking himself off up and stomped off.

Kagome looked at her rescuer. He'd saved her twice now. Smiling, she got up and took a few steps toward him. Holding out her hand she said, "Inuyasha? Hi, I'm Kagome. I don't think I had the chance to tell you before but thank–"

"Shut up wench. I don't care about you." Inuyasha growled walking away.

Kagome couldn't believe her ears...

Frowning, she ran to catch up with him. "I think we got off to a bad start, but I want to–"

"Bug off wench! I didn't do that back there for you ok? I beat up that punk to show him, that he can't threaten me. You had nothing to do with it." was the gruff reply.

Kagome was getting irritated but she held her calm as she tried to slow Inuyasha down by holding onto his sleeve. Instantly she was shoved and not expecting it Kagome fell. Looking up with hurt eyes she asked, "What's your problem?"

"I told you f*ck off wench. I don't like you. I don't care about you. You remind me of something I hate got it?" Inuyasha snarled.

"My name is Kagome" Kagome said quietly.

Inuyasha stared at the girl sitting on the floor. "What?" he asked.

"I said my name is Kagome not wench."

"Do I look like I give a d*mn?" Inuyasha snapped. 

"Look, I'm going to be living here for a while so I think we might as well be friends," Kagome started.

"Wench, I know your going to stick around and be a pain. I heard all about last night. How you pitifully ran about the castle calling out for your dead brother. But that doesn't mean I have to be friends with you. I don't need you. I hate your filthy smell! Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome glared at him before getting up. She spat, "If you hate seeing me so much then why don't you leave?"

"Keh! FINE I WILL! Don't even THINK about following, you hear?!" Inuyasha growled and stormed off.

Kagome stood watching his back as she remembered a silver haired boy who had held her when she cried two days ago. *_That can't be the same person... It must have been someone else...He's not a hero... He's a jerk...*_

  


_~_*~

Inuyasha turned the corner and waited. After a few minutes he looked back and saw her turn away and walk off angrily. Sighing he closed his eyes, *_Her eyes looks the same... Yeah I heard about yesterday. How you ran calling for your brother...Hate me. I killed your brother, I don't deserve your friendship. Although I want to tell you... I can't. You'll hate me in the end so it's better this way. I've already taken away your brother, I won't deceive you into believing I'm your friend... I won't let it become more painful for you. I owe it to your brother to keep you from hurting...*_ He watched her until her image was gone knowing he'd be seeing nothing but her back for a long time to come. A strange feeling filled Inuyasha as Kagome's friendly brown eyes stared at him in his mind. Eyes that saw him for himself not as a hanyou, something to be despised by demons and feared by humans.

  


~*~

  


A/N: Again sorry about the wait... . Kindof ironic that right after I say I post once in a week, I don't for two weeks.. T.T Hmmm finals are coming up, so I'll try to get another post up later on this week if you guys want it. So tell me what you think? Did this chapter disappoint you? . Not to worry this isn't going to turn to angst, Inuyasha's a little dense for that and Kagome too cheerful unless its about her family. And of course Souta would KILL me if I made Kagome suffer full out angst!^^ Not to mention the one who seems to be messing with Kagome's life and to what purpose? Who knows...

  


Lots of thanks to my muses: ox-Kagome-ox, Sailor-Helios, Alaskantiger, Tashy911, Seikkyokuka, and ChristyKay. ^.^ Reviewers are my muse ^-^ I know I'm sad but it's the only way I know how my writing is. Feedback from others! Feel free to give me constructive criticism ^_^ I know my grammar's atrocious and I apologize. If something bugs you put it in your review and I'll fix it.


	4. Chapter IV

A/N: I¡¯ve decided whenever I put an update date it seems I only jinx myself. So I¡¯m just going to say I update when I can' And since I finally have my computer back to normal after that virus or w/e crashed it I am very happy to post chappy 4! ^-^ An apology for the extremely long delay' _v_;;; Once I got my computer fixed, road runner had to ¡°schedule¡± me in' Ahh I¡¯ll stop the long explanation there'

Story Note: This chapter might seem a little confusing when you read it' I don¡¯t want to spoil everything so I will just say that no Kagome¡¯s not sick' 

_*Italics=Thoughts*_

~*Chapter IV*~

¡°Nee-chan, something¡¯s wrong'!¡± Souta cried out as he skating towards her on the ice' As he got closer the ice faded into a pale but darkening blue' Kagome blinked a few times feeling a little weird'Almost as if something in the back of her mind was tickling itself with the joy of keeping a secret'

Narrowing her eyes, she said, ¡°Souta?¡± 

By the time Souta reached her, she felt as if she knew something' It was just beyond her reach though'

¡°That¡¯s weird' It¡¯s almost as if I should be remembering something right now'¡± Kagome murmured and saw Souta wince. ¡°Souta what¡¯s wrong?¡±

Her little brother gave her a weak grin but his eyes kept looking around, ¡°Nee-chan, don¡¯t worry about it. Stop thinking about it'¡±

¡°Stop thinking about what? Souta are you all right? Come here for a second' Let me feel your forehead'¡± Kagome said walking to her brother with her hand stretched out.

Souta backed away almost panicked. Laughing nervously he muttered something that Kagome could barely make out, ¡°Mama was right' Midoriko-sama' be in trouble'powers weakening for' meddling ' affairs' living'¡±

Kagome narrowed her eyes, bracing her hands on her hips she snapped, ¡°Souta Higurashi, come here right now and let me feel your forehead! ' But wait, wasn¡¯t I just skating in the snow???¡± 

Souta quickly interrupted her train of thought, ¡°Nee-chan, listen! I don¡¯t have much time—Somehow only our connection was strong enough for me to even give you this message' She won¡¯t be helping you anymore' She can¡¯t help you anymore. Lady Fate found out that she was meddling in the worldly affairs' You¡¯re going to have to figure out the Shikon no Tama on your own'¡±

Kagome blinked her eyes trying to clear them' Souta¡¯s figure was becoming blurry. ¡°Souta, what are you talking about? Something¡¯s wrong with my eyes.¡±

¡°Nee-chan, listen to me! It¡¯s gotten worse, Naraku—Well you should be feeling the affects of his latest plan soon' Now the Shikon no Tama might—¡°

¡°Souta?! Souta! SOUTA!!!¡± Kagome screamed when her brother disappeared. Her heart ached as everything went black.

~*~

It was cold, but not yet freezing. Bleak darkness seemed to envelop her, and Kagome¡¯s eyes shot open. Her stomach was churning and she felt a wave of nausea. Quickly her eyes adjusted to the dim rays of dawn but for some reason, the feeling of an ominous darkness surrounding her was still there. It was as if a shadow lay waiting beneath.

The saliva in her mouth more than doubled within a few seconds and all Kagome could do was try to calm herself, breathing in deeply as she swallowed. Sliding off the bed, she ran towards the bathroom that was connected to her room. A dull ache started to press upon the back of her head as she reached the bathroom while gagging into her hand.

Her eyes watered, and she felt last night¡¯s dinner rise from within her'

~*~

¡°So the North will not be joining us then. The poison has spread quicker than I thought.¡±

¡°Hai, Inutaisho-sama,¡± was the quiet reply.

¡°Will they join the East?¡± Inutaisho asked quietly, his eyes fixed on the raven-haired miko who sat before him.

The young girl raised her eyes to meet the king¡¯s squarely, her composed face revealing none of her own feelings. Calmly she replied, ¡°That is a complicated question, Inutaisho-sama. Naraku¡¯s insidious jaki lingered about the neko-youkai palace. For now, they will remain neutral; the neko-youkai never liked getting involved in entangling matters. The feelings toward the inu-youkai were however hostile to say the least.¡±

¡°Well—¡° Inutaisho¡¯s sentence was cut off by the thundering sound of harsh bells. Quickly he stood up and the others among the council of war followed.

¡°The bells!¡± Miroku exclaimed as he stood up. ¡°Who would have thought the wolf youkai would recuperate so quickly?¡±

Only the young miko stayed in her seat. As the Lord of the Western Lands was passing her, she asked, ¡°What of the Shikon no Tama, Inutaisho-sama?¡±

~*~

¡°Kagome-chan! Are you in there?¡± Sango¡¯s voice barely reached Kagome in the state she was in. Kagome could scarcely hear more knocking before Sango yelling, ¡°Ok, I¡¯m just coming in!¡± 

Kagome flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink. Her headache was getting worse because of the smell of vomit that lingered about her. Turning on the warm water she splashed her face and rinsed her mouth.

¡°You are here!¡± Sango exclaimed as she walked toward the bathroom. ¡°Kagome-chan' Are you all right?¡±

Kagome breathed in deeply trying to settle her stomach. Smiling as she let out her breath she replied quietly, ¡°I¡¯m fine Sango-chan. I think yesterday¡¯s dinner didn¡¯t—¡±

Feeling another wave of nausea, Kagome gagged and turned back toward the toilet. She tried to suppress it but failed and gagged up spit' *_Kami-sama help me. What is going on? I¡¯ve thrown up everything I ate for dinner, lunch, AND breakfast yesterday! Now I¡¯m gagging up my own spit? Anyone, please' If you¡¯re up there, at least settle my stomach, or if you will tone down my headache'*_

¡°Kagome-chan, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Sango asked worriedly as she quickly walked over to the sink and turned on the water for her friend.

¡°Nothing. I¡¯m fine, really,¡± Kagome answered as she rinsed out her mouth. ¡°Just an upset stomach.¡± Wiping her face on a dry towel, Kagome smiled. She saw Sango¡¯s eyes still held worry and so quickly went on, ¡°So what brings you here? I hope it wasn¡¯t to invite me to breakfast' I don¡¯t think I¡¯m in the mood for food'¡± Kagome laughed weakly as her stomach threatened to make her gag again. 

Suddenly, Sango grabbed Kagome¡¯s hand and pulled her out towards the door. Feeling her stomach clench in protest, Kagome pulled her hand out of Sango¡¯s grasp. Standing still she quickly breathed in and out.

¡°Kagome-chan,¡± Kagome looked up hearing the worry in Sango¡¯s voice. ¡°Do you hear the bells?¡±

Frowning Kagome listened, and could hear some bells clanging faintly. She nodded.

¡°Those bells ring to signal an attack' The attack may be not necessarily be at the Western lands but the women and children are supposed to go to the shelters whenever the bells ring. As for you, Kaede-sama asked me to bring you to her. Now I need the truth, are you feeling up to this journey? We might be seeing some fighting, if you say ¡®no¡¯ I can take you to the shelter with the female youkai' I won¡¯t be able to stay with you because I was trained to battle youkai from when I was young, but you¡¯ll be protected no matter what happens.¡±

¡°By an attack do you mean the wolf youkai?¡± Kagome asked quietly.

¡°Yes, the wolf youkai'Kagome?¡± Sango asked.

¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Kagome answered.

¡°Kagome-chan, please be serious—¡°

¡°Sango-chan. I¡¯m fine. I really am now are we going?¡± 

~*~

¡°Inuyasha, wait!¡±

¡°What do you want Miroku?¡± Inuyasha growled turning around in mid-leap as Miroku caught up to him.

¡°Now is that the tone you should take with a fellow member of the Council? Which by the way you failed to attend today'¡±

¡°I don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Inuyasha growled and turned away only to be stopped by Miroku.

¡°Inuyasha, hold on. This is important. There¡¯s no way that the wolf youkai could have regained their health in such a short amount of time. Naraku¡¯s behind this make no doubt. The battle grounds are near a ningen village again, just goes to show that they¡¯re picking areas where they have the advantage. You know your father¡¯s law, we¡¯re not to harm humans that aren¡¯t involved—¡°

¡°I know this already! I was busy so I didn¡¯t attend, so let me go Miroku. My men are already losing faith in me, if I arrive late, then my fraction of the inu army will desert me!¡± Inuyasha snarled trying to dart around Miroku but was thwarted by his holy staff. 

¡°INUYASHA! Will you stay in one place for five minutes?! I¡¯m getting to the point. Kikyo-sama came back today—¡°

¡°Kikyo came back?¡±

¡°Don¡¯t interrupt, I thought you were in a hurry,¡± Miroku snapped and Inuyasha glared at him. ¡°She¡¯s going to battle with your brother¡¯s group. But your father is sending Kaede-sama, myself, and Kagome-sama with you.¡±

¡°Kagome? You mean that wench that faints all the time?¡±

¡°Inuyasha, please'¡± Miroku frowned. ¡°As I was saying, because Kagome-sama is coming along, we need to be extra careful. She¡¯s there because your father hopes to use her to gain a few more days relief from battles by purifying the wolf youkai. But as Kagome-sama is in possession of the Shikon no Tama, it is inevitable that Kouga will attack her in order to steal it. That¡¯s the reason both Kaede-sama and I are going but if anything happens, your father said to order you that the top priority of your fraction is to protect the Shikon no Tama. Retreat if you have to, but make sure we don¡¯t lose the tama!¡±

¡°Then leave her in the shelters if she can¡¯t protect herself! I have no time for this!¡± Inuyasha growled before running off.

~*~

*_The air is clear' The air is clean' I am not feeling nauseated' I do not have a headache' -_- This isn¡¯t working' I wonder how much further we still have to go? Normally, I¡¯d be ecstatic to be flying if only I didn¡¯t feel like my stomach wants to come through my mouth' Hold on stay away from that topic' I do not feel nauseated.. I do not feel sick' I am perfectly fine. I. Am. Fine'*_

¡°We¡¯re almost there Kagome-chan,¡± Sango said with fake cheerfulness. ¡°Um Kagome-chan, we¡¯re about to land, so please hold on to me, I don¡¯t want you to fall off of Kirara by accident.¡±

Kagome reluctantly pulled her hands away from their positions covering her stomach and mouth, and slipped them around the other girl¡¯s waist. Closing her eyes she focused on trying to keep from gagging, at least until they landed.

~*~

Inuyasha smirked when he found Kouga on the open field. Deftly he slipped between the smaller battles, slashing stray wolf youkai out of his way. He had one goal in mind. That was to kill Kouga.

~*~

¡°Kagome-chan, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Kaede-sama asked when they got there.

Kagome smiled, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±

Kaede-sama arched an eyebrow when Sango snorted. Looking questioningly at Sango, Kaede-sama said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t think this is going to work. Houshi, I think we should take Kagome-chan to back to the palace. She doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s in the state to do any purification.¡±

Kagome interrupted, ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine. Kaede-sama, please. They killed Souta' They killed me little brother without a second thought' They took away the last person I could call family' And they killed everyone in my village' Please don¡¯t make me go back.¡±

Kaede-sama looked at the her worriedly. Kagome bit her lower lip and stood still looking straight into Kaede-sama¡¯s eyes. *_I¡¯ve been given a chance to avenge my brother¡¯s death, and nothing is going to stop me from this' Not any sickness' Nothing*_

Kagome felt a little better after she made that resolution. She didn¡¯t feel sick anymore'*_Souta' Are you still watching over me with Mama? Thanks little brother, I won¡¯t let your help go to waste'*_

Kaede-sama suddenly frowned, ¡°Child, what did you just do?¡±

~*~

Inuyasha felt it. As he was countering Kouga¡¯s kick, there was a sudden flare of energy. He didn¡¯t know how to describe it but it was there, he could feel the Shikon no Tama nearby. Looking at Kouga, he realized the wolf had felt the same thing. 

¡°Dogturd, I¡¯d love to stay and play with you but I think I have other business to tend to,¡± saying that Kouga kicked Inuyasha to the side and ran off. Inuyasha growled, Kouga was running toward the Shikon no Tama' Sniffing the air, his suspicions were confirmed. That wench was here too' Without a second thought, he got up and ran after the receding form of the wolf prince.

~*~

¡°Kaede-sama, I feel a youkai coming our way and quickly,¡± Sango said suddenly.

Kaede frowned, ¡°It¡¯s Kouga, the wolf youkai prince' Where has Miroku gone to?¡±

¡°The wolf youkai prince?'He was the one that killed Souta'Wasn¡¯t he?¡± Kagome asked quietly, her eyes turning to the direction that Sango was watching worriedly.

¡°Wait child, you aren¡¯t strong enough to take on Kouga. Come with me both of you, we need to get away from here. I thought that a mile would be enough distance to prepare you Kagome, but I was wrong. Sango, can Kirara carry all of us?¡± Kaede-sama asked.

¡°Ah, I¡¯m not sure' I think she can,¡± Sango replied.

¡°No. I¡¯m not going to leave,¡± Kagome said.

¡°Kagome-chan?¡±

¡°Meaning no disrespect Kaede-sama, but you and the others have been telling me that I¡¯m a miko ever since I arrived at the palace of the Western Lands. Either I am a miko or I¡¯m not' I¡¯m here and the person who killed my younger brother is coming. And you¡¯re telling me to just run away?¡± Kagome asked angrily.

¡°Child, your thoughts are valiant, but you aren¡¯t trained for this' We had planned this with you at a _safe_ distance from the wolf youkai, and with you healthy'¡± Kaede-sama said.

¡°Kagome-chan, I know what you¡¯re going through. But you have to listen to Kaede-sama here. You¡¯re in no shape to do anything rash. Your brother wouldn¡¯t want you to throw your life away,¡± Sango said getting out her giant boomerang.

Kagome¡¯s eyes stung as she nodded. 

¡°No one¡¯s will stop you from going after him once you¡¯ve trained'¡± Sango added.

¡°All right,¡± Kagome said hoarsely.

¡°Sango-chan, take Kagome-chan on Kirara NOW!¡± Kaede-sama said suddenly pushing Kagome toward Sango. Not prepared, Kagome stumbled.

¡°Kaede-sama—¡°

¡°Hurry!¡± Kaede-sama yelled.

¡°What about you Kaede-sama?¡± Kagome asked but Sango grabbed Kagome and pulled her to Kirara who was transforming.

¡°Kagome-chan!¡± Sango shrieked suddenly and pushed her hard. Kagome fell to the ground just as something flew over her head. 

Shocked Kagome looked up to see a young boy who seemed to be a little older than her. He was clad in animal fur, and he had just leaped over her' *_Is he the wolf youkai prince?!*_

Something red also darted over her and ran into the other youkai.

¡°Inuyasha!¡± Kaede-sama exclaimed in relief.

¡°Inuyasha?¡± Kagome murmured as she watched the blurring figures of the two fighting.

¡°Ugh, Dogturd, why¡¯d you follow me?!¡±

¡°Wimpywolf, the fight is between you and me! Don¡¯t run away!¡± Inuyasha snarled.

¡°Kagome-chan, come on,¡± Sango said pulling her up.

¡°That girl isn¡¯t going anywhere with the Shikon no Tama! Hand over the Shikon no Tama wench!¡± the wolf youkai yelled and twisting around Inuyasha he leaped at Kagome. Sango stepped in front of him, blocking him from Kagome with her boomerang. The youkai jumped back but not before a crack appeared in the boomerang.

Sango cursed and she yelled at Kagome, ¡°Kagome-chan, run away! Now!¡±

¡°Kouga! I TOLD YOU. THE FIGHT IS BETWEEN US! STOP RUNNING AWAY YOU COWARDLY WOLF!¡± Inuyasha growled as he slashed at Kouga who had jumped back from Sango¡¯s block.

Kouga just dodged Inuyasha¡¯s slash, and laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dogturd, you¡¯ll have someone to play with in a few minutes.¡± Laughing, he ran back towards Kagome, and jumped to kick her. Sango moved in again barely making it in time. This time, Sango¡¯s boomerang broke.

¡°Oy, wench! Why don¡¯t you just hand over the Shikon no Tama?¡± Kouga jeered. ¡°Your friend here, won¡¯t last long—¡° he was cut off as Inuyasha attacked.

¡°Kagome-chan, follow me,¡± Kaede-sama said grabbing on to Kagome¡¯s arm.

Kagome couldn¡¯t move, her eyes were transfixed upon the youkai that had just tried to kill her. So many thoughts were running through her mind' *_He killed my brother' Souta was so young' He was too young' He doesn¡¯t even seem sorry' Youkai like him should die'*_

All of a sudden, Kagome gagged. She felt her stomach heave, and falling to her knees Kagome threw up.

~*~

A/N: . Ahhh I had a better chapter done before my computer crashed! T.T I don¡¯t know why but this chapter just didn¡¯t seem right, which is another reason this update is so late. I was rewriting it for the past week' Most revisions on any chapter I¡¯ve written yet...

Next Chapter: Promise to explain why Kagome seems like she has the stomach flu . It has nothing to do with a disease I promise!! ^^ Some of you may have already guessed or maybe not, I was trying to be subtle but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m good at hinting -_-

Thanks to:

Fay-of-Faerie- ^-^ It¡¯s a phrase I picked up from my friends. Anyways I¡¯m glad my grammar isn¡¯t bugging you.

Sailor-Helios- Thanks!! I¡¯m glad that you think I¡¯m getting better' Although this chapter will probably change your mind.. . ((sigh)) I wish I could just write as well as you'^^ 

Xo-Kagome-oX- ^^ LoL I think horrible and atrocious are about the same level'I guess we can blame the school system' I don¡¯t think we really concentrated on grammar that much.. Hope you liked this chapter! 

Seikkyokuka- Awww I¡¯m glad you like this story. Sorry about the long wait and I hope I didn¡¯t completely lose or confuse you in this chapter' ^^

Tashy911- ^_^ I¡¯ve noticed that too' I don¡¯t know why but this fic seems to become really emotional' Ahh I blame the nocturnal plot bunnies in my mind...

Alaskantiger- ^^ Yup! If it weren¡¯t for readers I¡¯d probably be too lazy to try writing fanfics^.^ Hope you liked this chappy!

Nuku- Thanks, I¡¯m glad you liked the story. I¡¯m also relieved I wasn¡¯t the first to kill of Souta ^^ 

ChristyKay- Aww thanks! Yeah I was worried that the sadness seems to overshadow everything' . Then again in this chapter her nausea overshadows everything'-_-;;; Ahhh I hope it wasn¡¯t annoying' Oh and happy belated birthday!!! . *Blames computer for lateness*

Inuyasha¡¯s Wifey- . Sorry about the late update' Glad you liked my story so far and hope you enjoy this chapter too. ^^

Alright well reviews are always appreciated!! ^_^ 


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